High stakes gambler Bob Stupak was notably the best friend of former
Horseshoe owners Jack and Ted Binion. Stupak is still often shown gambling
at the Horseshoe on national television reruns. Stupak was a regular in
the Horseshoe poker room during the Binion's proprietorship.

The Binions ran the club until the unfriendly takeover by their estranged
sister Becky and her husband Nick Behnen in June 1998. Stupak and a number
of other high rollers have stopped gambling at the Horseshoe following
the takeover because of reported hostile treatment by Nick Behnen.

Observers believe that the Behnens have suffered financially without
Jack and Ted's high rollers. The dismantling of the casino's million-dollar
display may be an example of how winnings have leveled off for the Behnens.

Becky was recently shown on TV at her brother Ted's grave. Some viewers
thought, based on the sibling's well-known animosity, that the news cameras
showing up just when she decided to visit the grave was an indication that
the event was staged.

One day in November 1998, following Ted's death, Binion friend Bob Stupak
tried to cash $250,000 worth of $5,000 chips. Stupak also attempted to
retrieve two safe deposit boxes full of cash he had on deposit in the casino's
cage.

Nick and Becky Behnen unexplainably refused to cash Stupak's chips or
return his currency. Stupak loudly protested and was eighty-sixed permanently
from the casino.

Bob Stupak had at least a half-million dollars in one hundred-dollar
bills stored in the Horseshoe's casino cage at the time. The Behnens showed
no intention of returning the money.

Nick Behnen is not licensed as an employee of the Horseshoe and is not
entitled to exercise authority in the casino. Stupak described Nick as
being the person who made the decision to throw him out that morning and
keep his two boxes of money.

The week of this occurrence, the National Gambling Impact Study Commission
was in town and the eyes of the nation were on the hearings at the MGM.
Also in town was nationally known gambling critic the Reverend Tom Grey,
Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion.
Rev. Grey was my houseguest.

Then in a stroke of genius, Stupak donated one of his $5,000 chips to
Grey's Methodist church in Illinois. Grey and Stupak both knew that the
Behnens would not cash the chip, however Grey accepted the chip as a donation
to a Chicago inner city youth group nonetheless referring to it as "the
coin of the realm." The rest is local history.

The following day Rev. Grey and I visited the Horseshoe to attempt to
cash the chip. We were immediately ordered to leave the casino by a man
named Perkins. He summoned security guards while shouting at Rev. Grey
and myself. We exited without protest. Grey left town that afternoon and
entrusted his chip to me.

Later that day I informed Bob Stupak of the rude treatment we had received
at the Horseshoe. He was not surprised and had alternative plans. Meanwhile,
Rev. Grey contacted the national media and told them of our experience.
The story began to spread in papers across the country.

"Las Vegas Casino Refuses to Honor its Own Chips."

Bob Stupak ask me to meet him at 3PM in front of the Horseshoe. When
I arrived with the chip, Bob, his attorney Jim Jimmerson, two Nevada Gaming
Control agents, and a plethora of news media greeted me.

Against the orders of Horseshoe security officers, we entered the casino.
I walked up to the cage and politely requested that they cash the chip.
Becky and Nick Behnen were present and ordered the cashiers to ignore my
request. I persisted as the TV cameras rolled.

Then, to my delight, the two Gaming Control agents identified themselves
and ordered the Behnens to cash the chip. Becky Behnen continued to refuse
to make the redemption. The agents then ordered Behnen to bring Stupak's
cash boxes to the counter. Behnen complied and had the two boxes brought
out.

I stood by while cashiers counted at least $300,000.00 in one hundred
dollar bills. Bob Stupak shoved the cash into several plastic "Fabulous
Las Vegas" shopping bags purchased at the gift shop.

I asked the Gaming Control agents what they were intending to do since
the Behnens were still refusing to cash the chip. They replied that they
had to speak to their superiors. I commented that if this had happened
at Stupak's old Vegas World they would have put a padlock on the door!
Nick and Becky Behnen obviously had more clout than Bob Stupak that day.

The next day Stupak and I met again in front of the Horseshoe at 3PM.
In addition to the now familiar assemblage of reporters and cameras, the
entire UNLV football team surrounded Bob!

He had hired thirty muscle-bound football players to accompany us back
into the Horseshoe.

We marched past protesting security guards and headed directly to the
casino cage. I politely presented the $5,000 chip to be cashed and was
not surprised to be refused again.

We drove back to attorney Jimmerson's law office where I filed a lawsuit
against the Behnens and the Horseshoe Club on behalf of Reverend Grey and
myself.

The lawsuit described the Behnen's clear violation of Nevada Gaming
law by them refusing to cash their own chips. The briefs from the lawsuit
were immediately shared with gaming authorities in Carson City, and the
National Gambling Impact Study Commission.

Carson City promptly started a thorough investigation. The Behnens began
to waiver. We decided to let the gaming officials handle the problem and
dismissed the lawsuit in expectation of the Behnens being brought into
line.

Nick and Becky Behnen were bringing embarrassment upon their own industry
through their refusal to abide by state law.

Their obvious vendetta against brothers Ted and Jack's best friend could
have cost them their gaming license if it continued and they were beginning
to realize it.

Later that day I had the opportunity to meet with several long time
Horseshoe employees. I listened attentively to their version of what was
happening.

They said that on the days that Ted and Jack were vacating the casino,
both brothers had gone into the casino cage and emptied the racks of $5,000
"chocolate chips." The employees stated that when Ted left in 1996, and
when Jack left in 1998, the brothers were still the owners at the time
and had every right to take the chips.

The employees went on to say that the Binion brothers were planning
to cash the chips all at once to break the bank and take back the hotel.
They were supposedly just waiting for the Behnens to have a dry spell and
deplete the reserves enough to not be able to cash the chips all at once
- a serious violation of state law.

I was also told that Ted had boasted of having "taken care" of Jan Jones
when she was running for Governor and that he was going to get his gaming
license reinstated if Jones was elected.

One old timer told me that Jack and Ted's closest friends were the ones
who would have tried to cash the chips and that the "test" would be if
I could get the chip I then had in my possession cashed. If so, then all
the chips would arrive on a selected day in the future, the bank would
be broken, and Jack and Ted would repossess the club from their sister
and her husband.

Then events changed drastically. Ted Binion died under mysterious circumstances.

I was told that Ted was paranoid about his safety during the weeks leading
up to his death and he had asked old friends to stay close to him day and
night. I was told that someone had broken all of the lenses on the eight
security cameras surrounding Ted's house on the evening before his death.

Ted Binion died the day following Jan Jones' visit to his house to pick
up her $40,000 campaign contribution. Contrary to a widely held suicide
theory He obviously thought he would live to see the day when she would
return his favors.

Reverend Grey's chip was cashed twelve months later in July 1999, one
day before the Gaming Commission was to hold a public hearing on the Behnens
refusal to cash the chips.

The Behnens have since cashed all of the outstanding "chocolate chips,"
and still own the Horseshoe Club.

A retrial of the accused murderers of Ted Binion is being considered,
and Jack Binion has recently been rejected for a gambling license in Illinois.

If a new trial is granted, the story of the infamous $5,000 chip may
resurface to be tied into a rambling scenario of conspiracy and intrigue
intended to shift the blame for Ted's demise to yet unidentified parties.